The once-clear plan to find Lily is unraveling fast. I’ve found her, but now what? My hands shake, useless on my thighs as I rub them in my crouched position.
What if I can’t do this alone?
I shift, the sour earth cool against my palms, the faint outline of my breath stirring in the air. It’s not as warm as it’s been during the day, and with the campfire so far away from Lily I wonder if she’s cold.
I study her—the moonlight slicing through the trees at the perfect angle to see her. She’s slumped against the bark, her back covered so I can only see the top of her head and the tip of her shoulder. Chains force her to the stump, wrapping all the way around her upper body and down to around her thighs. I’m sure they bite into her skin, making it raw and painful.
Why haven’t I been there for her? The way she’s needed me. Wanted me.
My teeth clench and I grind my back molars, thinking about all the bruises that will mar her beautiful body. That he has got his hands on heragain.
Rage unfurls in my chest, but I force it down. Losing my head, seeing red—it wouldn’t help her.
Beyond her, the camp flickers with firelight from lanterns hanging from branches and the campfire. Men are hunched over in loose circles around half-collapsed tents. The acrid scent of smoke mixed with chemicals is infuriating, especially since it’s my job to make sure that men like Raven are put away for life.
I creep forward, annoyed that I took my eye off Lily and Max for even a second.
A rustling sound snaps my focus to the right and my gut tightens as Max nudges Lily’s shoulder. Damn it.
Quietly, I stand and reach for my weapon. I palm my pistol. If he barks …
That’s when I hear it. The low rumbling growl I know is Max’s.
Lily’s soft whisper follows. “Nien.”
Crap.
I fumble with the e-collar control and press the tone button just as Raven’s senses perk up. He turns and whips out his gun, pointing it in Lily and Max’s direction.
Max’s ears flick up, his body snapping around and darting into the shadows.
The gun goes off.
A roar of a scream rips from Lily.
As her shout dies, the brush crackles near me, and Max reappears by my side, panting hard.
“Bleib. Braver Hund.”
“You bastard!” Lily screams, kicking her legs to loosen her chains.
A cold nose bumps my hand, but I steady him with a palm to his head and run my fingers through his hair. When Raven’s gun moves toward Lily’s chest. I freeze, and my hand falls away.
He stands over her like he owns her. My heart pounds, furious. I can’t rush in, can’t give myself away. The air shifts as I creep into the clearing with Max heeled at my side. The world goes quiet, like the camp exhaled a breath.
I raise my gun, steadying my aim. He’s so focused on her, he doesn’t see me. No one does.
“Let her go,” my low voice cuts through the silence.
Raven spins toward me while his other men jump up, grabbing weapons and readying themselves. His eyes widen, perhaps surprised I stepped forward. They’re void, black, and I can’t help but wonder if there was ever anything light in them at all. Where is the depth? The warmth?
It’s unsettling, their stillness and the unnatural clash to his pale skin. Knowing what I do, I can’t help but think about what Lily saw in this man. He stands tall and striking—it doesn’t surprise me she was sucked in.
Lily lets out a “Damn it, Noah” under her breath.
A haunting sneer spreads across his cruel face. “You think you’re a hero here, Ranger?”
No. I don’t. Stupid, maybe. For sure breaking protocol—the one that mandates an officer never operate alone in high-risk situations to ensure safety and accountability in potentially dangerous encounters.
